India secured a brilliant 6-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy on Sunday, dominating the chase of 241 with ease. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer played key roles, helping India reach the target in just 42.3 overs. This stunning win has made Pakistan’s path to the semi-finals much more difficult, leaving them in a tough position where they now have to depend on other results to stay in the tournament.
While the loss doesn’t directly eliminate Pakistan, it has significantly hurt their chances of qualification. With a net run rate of -1.087, they are now hoping for India and Bangladesh to defeat New Zealand in their remaining group-stage matches. If New Zealand beats Bangladesh, they will secure a semi-final spot along with India, effectively ending Pakistan’s hopes regardless of their own performance.
Pakistan’s Path to Semi-Finals
Pakistan now faces a simple equation: they need Bangladesh to upset New Zealand and then must beat Bangladesh in their final match in Rawalpindi to keep their semi-final dreams alive.
It has been a tough campaign for Pakistan. Their performance in both group-stage matches has been disappointing. They lost by 60 runs to New Zealand and never looked comfortable in their chase of 321 runs in Karachi. Their star batter, Babar Azam, came under heavy criticism for his slow 64 off 90 balls during the chase.
Bad decision to Bat-first
Against India, Pakistan’s decision to bat first didn’t pay off, as they struggled to post a big total. After a slow start, they were just 99/2 after 25 overs, and the pressure mounted as wickets fell quickly in the second half of the innings.